Rate this book

The Four Seasons: A Novel Of Vivaldi's Venice (2008)

by Laurel Corona(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1401309267 (ISBN13: 9781401309268)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Hachette Books

review 1: (3.5 stars) Set in Venice in the late 1600's, the child Maddalena and her baby sister, Chiaretta are left at the Pieta. They are branded with the hospital's mark and are sent off to be fostered. When they are older, they are brought back to the Pieta to work and take lessons. While this book has a similar premise to Barbara Quick's "Vivaldi's Virgins", the story is quite different. The adjustment to partially cloistered life is difficult, but each sister makes her own path, with Chiaretta becoming a vocalist, and Maddalena falls in love with the violin. She also develops a deep attachment to Vivaldi who teaches, directs, and writes for the girls of the Pieta. Chiaretta longs to be married, while Maddalena only hopes for the love of music. We see them grow into women and li... moreve very different lives, neither of which is quite what they expected. This was an interesting historical perspective on the lives of the very unique woman of the Pieta.
review 2: A more accurate rating for me would be 3 1/2 stars. I did like this book. I enjoyed the 2 main characters, and perhaps what I liked best about the book was the realistic portrayal of how aristocratic women fared in 17th/18th Century Venice life --meaning they either were married or entered a nunnery. For many women, neither of which a very positive experience. This book focuses on 2 women, sisters, Chiaretta and Maddalena, who are raised in a foundling orphanage/musical academy, which actually gives them more benefits/options than many women. Chiaretta goes on to enter an aristocratic marriage, and Maddalena goes on to be a violin virtuoso, working alongside the great Vivaldi as he composes many of his compositions. Throughout the book you get to know the two women, as explore aspects of Venice life, and get to know a bit about Vivaldi and his great works. I enjoyed the book as you get a window into Vivaldi and his personality (although as the author admits in her interview at the end of the book, there is little written about Vivaldi, and so how much of what she writes on this topic is written based on research and fact??), and I also enjoyed learning more about how aristocratic marriages operated during this time in Venice. I didn't, however, necessarily *enjoy* reading the book, meaning I didn't rush back to it each day or evening, as I have done with other books. I would recommend this book to those with an interest in this time period or this specific topic, but perhaps not to those readers with a general interest in historical fiction. less

Download links for: The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi's Venice

Advertising